This invention relates to a schedule management system and, more particularly, to a system which allows a plurality of users to efficiently register and manage a routine, regular or periodical schedule occurring in a substantially constant condition.
As described in PUPA 5-61876, a schedule management system is provided for inputting a repetitive or periodical schedule such as xe2x80x9cMeeting from 10:00 to 11:00 every day for 10 days from todayxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cMorning meeting from 9:00 on every Mondayxe2x80x9d.
However, irregular (or exceptional) factors including a partial change/deletion such as xe2x80x9cMeeting starts at 2:00 only todayxe2x80x9d and: xe2x80x9cMorning meeting is canceled in this weekxe2x80x9d are often brought in a periodically-occurring schedule (hereinafter referred to as a routine schedule) of this kind. Also, it may be desired to delete a registered schedule in a bundle or change the content thereof as a result of a review of a project.
A conventional schedule management system was unable to cope with such irregurality because the schedule is generated in the manner similar to a schedule in which a routine schedule was normally or non-exceptionally registered according to a pattern in which a routine pattern was pre registered and could not remove an irregular schedule from an object to be managed as a routine schedule or manage after input (delete or change the routine schedule in a bundle). In addition, the conventional system was unable to cope with a partial change of a pattern such as xe2x80x9cMorning meeting starts at 10:00 in this month onlyxe2x80x9d.
Further, when it was desired to change a routine pattern of a specific period, for example, to change a schedule which was initially registered for every Monday for one year from January 1st to every Tuesday from April to December, a later change encompassing periods of two patterns (every Wednesday from February to Nay, for example) could not be effected at one time so that the schedule had to be changed for each period (from February to March and from April to May) because the schedule was managed separately for each period (from January to March and from April to December). This invited a cumbersome operation.
Therefore, it is a further object of this invention to provide a schedule management system of an improved operability which flexibly cope with a routine schedule in which an exceptional change occurs.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a schedule management system which allows a routine schedule and a normal schedule to be grasped at the same time while intuitively recognizing the distinction therebetween.
It is another object of this invention to provide a schedule management system in which resources required upon execution are reduced.
In registering a routine schedule, a unique number (routine number) is added to a series of such schedules. The schedule so registered is so adapted to be able to change only the content of the schedule without changing the added routine number in changing individual schedule. Therefore, an exceptional schedule the content of which has been changed can be flexibly managed by being deleted/changed in a bundle together with other routine schedule, for example. A routine basic condition such as every other day and every Monday and a routine,exceptional condition such as shifting down week end and holiday to next day can be set in the routine pattern.
This invention provides, in one aspect thereof, a method of displaying schedule data on a schedule management apparatus having a display screen and an input device, said method comprising the steps of;
(a) receiving a user input including a schedule starting time, a schedule ending time and a condition of a day on which a schedule is set,
(b) generating and registering schedule data including a schedule starting time and a schedule ending time which are associated with a common routine number for each of a plurality of dates corresponding to said condition of a day on which a schedule is set, and
(c) displaying schedule data which is associated with said routine number distinctively from schedule data which is not associated with a routine number.
In the claims of this specification, a xe2x80x9ccondition of a day on which a schedule is setxe2x80x9d is a concept including every day, a basic condition such as every day, every other day (or every n+1 days) every second Wednesday of a month (or every m-th particular week day of a month), and an exceptional condition such as xe2x80x9ca holiday is not registeredxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9ca registration on a holiday is shifted up to the previous dayxe2x80x9d.
This invention provides, in another aspect thereof, a method of displaying schedule data on a schedule management apparatus having a display screen and an input device, said method comprising the steps of;
(a) displaying a schedule data input panel in response to an operator""s operation instructing a schedule input,
(b) receiving a user input including a schedule starting time, a schedule ending time, a basic condition of a day on which a schedule is set and an exceptional condition of a day on which a schedule is set in said schedule data input panel,
(c) calculating a plurality of setting dates corresponding to said basic condition of a day on which a schedule is set and said exceptional condition of a day on which a schedule is set,
(d) generating a routine number having a common value which is allocated to each of the schedule data of said plurality of setting dates,
(e) generating schedule data including a schedule starting time and a schedule ending time for each of said plurality of setting dates and storing them in association with said routine number, and
(f) displaying schedule data which is associated with said routine number distinctively from schedule data which is not associated with a routine number.
This invention provides, in one aspect thereof, a method of displaying schedule data on a schedule management apparatus having a display screen and an input device, said method comprising the steps of;
(a) receiving a user input including a schedule starting time, a schedule ending time and a condition of a day on which a schedule is set,
(b) generating and registering schedule data including a schedule starting time and a schedule ending time which are associated with a common routine number for each of a plurality of dates corresponding to said condition of a day on which a schedule is set, and
(c) displaying schedule data which is associated with said routine number.
This invention provides, in one aspect thereof, a method of changing schedule data on a schedule management apparatus having a display screen and an input device, said method comprising, the steps of;
(a) displaying a plurality of user schedule information items including information of a schedule starting time and a schedule ending time and a condition of a day on which a schedule is set,
(b) detecting that one of said plurality of user schedule information items is specified,
(c) obtaining information of a changed period and a changed content inputted by an operator, and
(d) reregistering user schedule data included in said obtained changed period and associated with a routine number which is common to the routine number associated with said one user schedule information item according to the changed content.
This invention provides, in a further aspect thereof, a schedule management apparatus having a display screen and an input device, said apparatus comprising;
(a) a schedule data input panel for receiving a user input including a schedule starting time, a schedule ending time and a condition of a day on which a schedule is set,
(b) a routine schedule data generating part for generating and registering schedule data including a schedule starting time and a schedule ending time which are associated with a common routine number for each of a plurality of dates corresponding to said condition of a day on which a schedule is set, and
(c) a display part for displaying schedule data which is associated with said routine number.
This invention provides, in a further aspect thereof, a schedule management apparatus having a display screen and an input device, said method comprising;
(a) a schedule data input panel displayed in response to an operator""s operation instructing a schedule input for receiving a user input including a schedule starting time, a schedule ending time, a basic condition of a day on which a schedule is set and an exceptional condition of a day on which a schedule is set in said schedule data input panel,
(b) a routine number generating part for generating a routine number,
(c) a routine schedule data generating part for calculating a plurality of setting dates corresponding to said basic condition of a day on which a schedule is set and said exceptional condition of a day on which a schedule is set, and generating schedule data including a schedule starting time and a schedule ending time for each of said plurality of setting dates, and
(d) a display control part for displaying schedule data which is associated with said routine number distinctively from schedule data which is not associated with a routine number.
This invention provides, in a further aspect thereof, a schedule management apparatus having a display screen and an input device, said method comprising;
(a) a display part for displaying a plurality of user schedule information items including information of a schedule starting time and a schedule ending time,
(b) an event detecting part for detecting that one of said plurality of user schedule information items is specified,
(c) a user schedule data input panel for obtaining information of a changed period and a changed content inputted by an operator, and
(d) a control part for reregistering user schedule data included in said obtained changed period and associated with a routine number which is common to the routine number associated with said one user schedule information item according to the changed content.
This invention provides, in a further aspect thereof, a storage medium storing a schedule management program for displaying schedule data on a schedule management apparatus having a display screen and an input device, said program comprising;
(a) a program code instructing said schedule management apparatus to receive a user input including a schedule starting time, a schedule ending time and a condition of a day on which a schedule is set,
(b) a program code instructing said schedule management apparatus to generate and registering schedule data including a schedule starting time and a schedule ending time which are associated with a common routine number for each of a plurality of dates corresponding to said condition of a day on which a schedule is set, and
(c) a program code instructing said schedule management apparatus to display schedule data which is associated with said routine number distinctively from schedule data which is not associated with a routine number.
This invention provides, in a further aspect thereof, a storage medium storing a schedule management program for displaying schedule data on a schedule management apparatus having a display screen and an input device, said program comprising;
(a) a program code instructing said schedule management apparatus to display a schedule data input panel in response to an operator""s operation instructing a schedule input,
(b) a program code instructing said schedule management apparatus to receive a user input including a schedule starting time, a schedule ending time, a basic condition of a day on which a schedule is set and an exceptional condition of a day on which a schedule is set in said schedule data input panel,
(c) a program code instructing said schedule management apparatus to calculate a plurality of setting dates corresponding to said basic condition of a day on which a schedule is set and said exceptional condition of a day on which a schedule is set,
(d) a program code instructing said schedule management apparatus to generate a routine number having a common value which is allocated to each of the schedule data of said plurality of setting dates,
(e) a program code instructing said schedule management apparatus to generate schedule data including a schedule starting time and a schedule ending time for each of said plurality of setting dates and storing them in association with said routine number, and
(f) a program code instructing said schedule management apparatus to display schedule data which is associated with said routine number distinctively from schedule data which is not associated with a routine number.
This invention provides, in a further aspect thereof, a storage medium storing a schedule management program for displaying schedule data on a schedule management apparatus having a display screen and an input device, said program comprising;
(a) a program code instructing said schedule management apparatus to receive a user input including a schedule starting time, a schedule ending time and a condition of a day on which a schedule is set,
(b) a program code instructing said schedule management apparatus to generate and registering schedule data including a schedule starting time and a schedule ending time which are associated with a common routine number for each of a plurality of dates corresponding to said condition of a day on which a schedule is set, and
(c) a program code instructing said schedule management apparatus to display schedule data which is associated with said routine number.
This invention provides, in a further aspect thereof a storage medium storing a schedule management program for changing schedule data on a schedule management apparatus having a display screen and an input device, said program comprising;
(a) a program code instructing said schedule management apparatus to display a plurality of user schedule information items including information of a schedule starting time and a schedule ending time and a condition of a day on which a schedule is set,
(b) a program code instructing said schedule management apparatus to detect that one of said plurality of user schedule information items is specified,
(c) a program code instructing said schedule management apparatus to obtain information of a changed period and a changed content inputted by an operator, and
(d) a program code instructing said schedule management apparatus to reregister user schedule data included in said obtained changed period and associated with a routine number which is common to the routine number associated with said one user schedule information item according to the changed content.
This invention provides, in a further aspect thereof, a storage medium storing a schedule management program for changing schedule data on a schedule management apparatus having a display screen and an input device, said program comprising;
(a) a program code instructing said schedule management apparatus to display a plurality of user schedule information items including information of a schedule starting time and a schedule ending time and a condition of a day on which a schedule is set,
(b) a program code instructing said schedule management apparatus to detect that one of said plurality of user schedule information items is specified,
(c) a program code instructing said schedule management apparatus to obtain information of a deleted period inputted by an operator, and
(d) a program code instructing said schedule management apparatus to delete user schedule data included in said obtained deleted period and associated with a routine number which is common to the routine number associated with said one user schedule information item.